Our guest speakers were Jonathan Blair, Instructor, Information Technology and Professor Dale Yerpe at Jamestown Community College, who both discussed the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The two were introduced by Dan Heitzenrater, who explained that earlier this year the Jamestown Community College board of trustees and faculty had a meeting focusing on AI, especially as it related to academics. Yerpe is a profession of English at JCC, primarily at the Olean Campus. He also considers himself a student of AI. Blair is a computer science professor at JCC. He grew up in Silicon Valley and wrote his first computer program at the age of 3. He also worked on AI simulations since the 1990s and also over 50 video games that incorporate AI.
Tory Irgang stepped in for Vince Horrigan and Randy Sweeney to introduce our speaker Andrew Nixon the President and CEO of Chautauqua County Visitor’s Bureau where he has been employed since January 1991. Prior to that, Andrew was the Managing Director and Marketing Coordinator for the organization. Before working at the Visitor’s Bureau, Andrew worked for Chautauqua Institution for three years as Assistant Marketing Director.
Vince Horrigan introduced Mark Geise who will speak to Rotarians today on the state of economic development in Chautauqua County. Mark has broad experience in both the private and public sector of business development and planning in our country. Early in his career he was founder and president of a byproduct and re-use company in Fredonia and went on to be Sales Manager, and Operations Director in the glass processing industry in St. Louis. Mark has extensive experience as a senior planner in ecology and environment. Mark’s work in the public sector includes Director of Development for the City of Dunkirk, Director of Planning and Economic development for Chautauqua County, Director of Economic Development, Monroe County and currently serves as the Deputy County Executive for Economic Development in Chautauqua County and CEO, County of Chautauqua’s Industrial Development Agency. Mark has a Bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a Master’s in urban planning from the University of Buffalo, He is married to Katie Geise, former President of the Rotary club of Jamestown.
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